The almost marshy environment was indeed one he lurked about quite often, finding solace in the ever rising mist and the constant chattering of crickets. This was his haven, and he had trusted enough to share it with her.

He gave another shrug, trying to buy time. Ether could sense her discomfort, and her awkward smile only convinced him more. He had a lot to show her, with so little time.

"I guess it is, huh," The silence was growing in him once again, but it wasn't meant to be uncomfortable this time. He didn't want her to search for words to say simply to break the quiet. Quiet was good, silence was better.

She listened to him in silence, nodding her head as the only indication that she'd heard his words. Similar to his own reasoning, she enjoyed the comfortable silence. Sometimes words were just completely unnecessary. His second comment made her frown however, why would he want her to know that? She didn't want to go back, not at all, but even though there was no temptation, she was confused...

"Why tell me that? Do you think it would tempt me to leave?" Her tone was not condescending or scorning, simply curious and a little unsure. He seemed so protective, so caring towards her, so why then did he bring up the way for her to leave like that? Did he hope that eventually she would, so that he could find something new and interesting? Her pride told her this was stupid, but she knew all too well that there were many games of the heart one could play.

"I will not." She said firmly, turning towards him and daring him with a glance to question her decision. Her gaze returned to the glorious scenery and she moved to the edge of the water, sitting down and letting her long tail dip into the water curiously. It was perfectly cool and she let out a content sigh, closing her eyes and speaking to the figure behind her.

"What do you do here?" She could almost feel him in her head, listening closely for any sign of movement, to see if he would come near her or wander. She understood how personal this was for him to show her, she didn't need to reaffirm that with words, but she was bold enough to want to know more. What was it about this haven that made it his own? It let her see a piece of him she hadn't recognized before, and she was starting to suspect he had much more depth than she had anticipated. If he let her, she was all too eager to peel back the layers and explore everything he would let her.

He made her feel woefully shallow, her secrets were mostly in her poor behaviour with her past life, she had no personal paradise, nowhere she could have gone to be herself. Everything that she was could easily be seen, it made her feel inadequate. What did he truly see in her?

A small smirk twitched at the corner of his lips, and he had to hold in a small chuckle.

"I was only telling you where we are. You said you were lost earlier, right?"

He held back the words lingering on his tounge; 'Don't take everything so personally', but that had the potential to cause more misunderstanding. Mares required a lot of thought, he was learning.

"Be alone. Think, mostly," He walked up beside her, and skimmed the water's surface with his nose. Crimson hairs cascaded down his neck like a waterfall, and fell to cover his eyes. The water shimmered red for only a moment, then the mist rising from it started giving off a slightly pink shade.

The smell that arose from the little pond was sweet and comforting, like new blooming flowers. He raised his head and sighed, "Don't drink that, you'll get sick."

She smiled back gratefully, sensing he was biting his tongue and knowing that her nervousness had shown. It was hard to hide, she was in a strange situation with so very much on her mind. She watched him approach and nudged a lillypad with her nose curiously. It didn't move very far.

"I wanted to be. I still do." Her voice was soft and quiet, hard to hear without leaning in, which luckily the stallion had already done. The tip of her tail was a stain of black oil under the water, hard to see past the murky pool of water above it. When he spoke again she laughed, pulling her tail up and splashing him with it as it lifted onto the dry shore.

"I am not that curious, I can see what lives in there." Her eyes spotted small amphibians in the brown-black soil along the sides and bottom, darting in and out of underwater grasses that she hadn't seen for a long time. She considered why it was that he liked this place and frowned at the explanation, it sounded like she was ruining this, then.

"Well I'm not sure you can do much of either with me here, can you? So what do you think you'd like to do here, with someone else?" Her mouth turned upwards into a careful smirk, curious as to what he would say. She was up for any of his surprises, so far they had all been most pleasant.

"I don't know," He mumbled quietly, as his muzzle carefully ran up the curve of her neck. For a moment he felt predictable, and he pulled away. He'd rather die then be read like some magazine.

Then again, it was her.

Ether shrugged it off and returned his gaze to the pond, watching tadpoles dart beneath the water's glassy surface. He hardly twitched when the drops of water splashed onto his face, and glanced at her carefully.

She closed her eyes and leaned into the feeling, frowning only slightly when he pulled away. He had his own reasons for being so touch and go she assumed, and if he wanted her to know what was in his head, he would open up and speak to her about it. Despite his cold and aloof personality that was displayed to the world, he was capable of being sensitive and personal in a way she hadn't expected.

"I don't want to take over your life. I want to create seperate memories. This is a very personal place to you, I don't want to take that away. I practically forced myself into your care after all." She smiled a bit uncertainly, a wash of emotions flickering behind her eyes and dissapearing. She didn't regret her decision, oh no, but she wondered if he was prepared for how his life might change with her around. He obviously wasn't used to it, which was a good thing now, it made everything more special, but later it might prove to make him distressed.

"I keep making things serious, don't I?" Another small grin was given as she turned to face the pond, brushing her cheek along his jaw.